ABSTRACT
The objectives of sandwich programmes of colleges of education are to enable serving teachers to improve their knowledge, skills and competencies for effective performance of their duties. However, it has been claimed that the sandwich programmes of colleges of education are not properly managed as to accomplish the specified objectives. One then wonders whether these sandwich programmes are actually managed in conformity with the established NCCE guidelines. The general purpose of the study, therefore, was to appraise the management of sandwich programmes of federal and state colleges of education in South South Nigeria. The study adopted an evaluative survey design. It was guided by six research questions and four null hypotheses. The study population were nine colleges of education in the South South Nigeria. Through purposive sampling two colleges that run sandwich programme in the study area were selected. There were 231 respondents, comprising 67 heads of units, 144 senior administrative staff that are at the rank of Assistant Registrar and above in the two colleges of education in South South Nigeria that run sandwich programmes and also 20 sandwich students that were used for the Focus Group Discussion. Data for the study were collected with four research instruments that included A 40-item researcher-developed questionnaire, observation rating scale, focus group discussion guideline and documentary evidence. Mean and standard deviation were used to answer the research questions while the null hypotheses were tested with t-test statistic at 0.05 level of significance. Some major findings of the study were that: The colleges of education in South South Nigeria to a great extent adhered to the NCCE guidelines on planning of sandwich programmes, financial management for sandwich programmes, personnel management, communication and supervision of sandwich programmes. Conversely, the colleges of education in South South Nigeria, to a little extent, adhered to the NCCE guidelines on provision and management of physical facilities and equipment for sandwich programmes. The results of the study also showed that there was no significant difference between the mean ratings of heads of units and senior administrative staff of federal and state colleges of education on the extent to which colleges of education in South South Nigeria adhere to the NCCE guidelines on planning for: sandwich programmes, personnel management for sandwich programmes, and communication for sandwich programmes, among others. From the research findings, some recommendations were made which include: the sandwich programmes of colleges of education should be planned well ahead of their commencement in order to have ample time for the procurement and allocation of the factor resources required for their effective implementation; in planning for sandwich programmes, the colleges of education should give adequate considerations to the availability of the required funds, personnel, physical facilities, equipment and instructional materials for the sandwich programmes; colleges of education should diversify the sources of funds for the sandwich programmes so as to have enough funds to run their programmes effectively and efficiently, among others.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background of the Study
In Nigeria, Colleges of Education are tertiary teacher education institutions established for the production of qualified teachers for Nigeria’s primary and junior secondary schools. Colleges of education are, therefore, teacher education institutions designed to produce highly motivated, conscientious and efficient classroom teachers for primary and junior secondary levels of Nigeria’s educational system (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2004). Colleges of education provide professional training in education courses, teaching subjects, general studies courses and methodology leading to the award of the Nigeria Certificate in Education (N.C.E). In addition to the regular programmes which last for three academic sessions, colleges of education also run sandwich programmes aimed at equipping students (Pre-NCE holders) with the requisite knowledge, skills, and competencies for maximum performance on their jobs.
The sandwich programmes of tertiary education institutions which include federal and state colleges of education have been conceptualized in different ways by different authors. In this case, Azuka (2008) defined sandwich programmes as teacher education programmes organized and run by tertiary education institutions in order to enable serving teachers to improve on their educational qualifications while they are on the job. In the view of Emenike (2010), sandwich programmes are academic opportunities provided in tertiary education institutions with a view to improving the knowledge and skills of serving teachers. In the same vein, Agbazue (2011) conceptualized sandwich programmes as programmes designed for the professional development of serving teachers outside the regular academic calendar.
Conceptualizing the importance and the objectives of sandwich programmes of tertiary education institutions, Kabiru (2004) and Gassan (2008) maintained that the sandwich programmes enable serving teachers to improve their knowledge, skills and competencies for maximum performance.
Based on the above conceptualizations of sandwich programmes, one can deduce that they are programmes designed for the professional development of teachers for the effective performance of their duties whilst maintaining a regular employment. Consequently, sandwich programmes are operationally defined in this study as professional development programmes offered in colleges of education for serving teachers with a view to improving their knowledge, skills and competencies for increased performance on their jobs.
The sandwich programmes of tertiary education institutions are planned, organized and run during the long vacation periods while the intervening periods are used for supervising students’ teaching practice and research projects. Thus, the sandwich programmes allow serving teachers to stay on their jobs during the school year and return to the tertiary education institutions during the long vacation periods for the continuation of their academic work. It is in recognition of this fact that Gassan (2008), Ede (2010) and Chuta (2010) remarked that sandwich programmes are organized to enable serving teachers to improve their educational standards without the option of resigning their appointments. This has made sandwich programmes very popular among teachers who see it as providing better alternatives to full-time studies.
